Can't talk. Must knit the last sweater of 2012; I've got eight more rows, finishing, and an inch of neck edging to go. In response, I've spent way too much time dreaming of socks (I've virtually cast on for three pairs that were NOT on my list), and I've decided to turn my fractal spun handspun into a pair of legwarmers for Mom to wear to dance. And, I spun that mystery green wool into 42 yards of (poorly) chain-plyed yarn... as soon as it dries I'll check for sure, but I think it's around a light worsted weight.

I also set my goals for 2013, and reorganized myself for a new batch of FOs and record keeping. One thing that has definitely changed on the list this week is the amount of spinning I expect to get through... I made my goal of an ounce a week during the summer, when I was spinning a lot more because it was too hot to knit. It turns out I can't keep up that pace and knit and have a social life, so I've cut it by half--which I think will work well because one week shy of halfway through this thing I'm approaching halfway to my spinning goal.

Anyway, when the yarn dries, and the sweater is less pressing, I'll load pictures and cheery greetings for a happy and healthy 2013. Right now, I've got some ribbing to knit.

Not a lot of change on the list this week-- I've got a sleeve and some done on the sweater, and hope to be attaching two full sleeves to the body tube by the middle of next week. In the meantime, I'm getting distracted (I know, it's shocking) by a lace weight singles that's been in my stash for approximately forever... probably in reaction to the miles of stockinette here on sleeve island.

Thanks to everyone for the responses this week on my twisted stitches problem-- I may try swatching a bit just to make sure I know what I'm doing before I apply myself to the part of the sweater knit flat; I certainly have enough yarn!

In the meantime, I'll leave you with a picture of the lovely bit of roving I'm spinning currently; it comes from Virginia, and it's 100% wool, but the breed is unknown to me-- it was part of a swap package. I've spun up over half of it already, on the spindle I picked up at OFFF this year; hopefully I'll have some yarn to show you this coming week. The wool is sproingy, reminding me of Targhee, but also pretty wooly-- although that might be because it's definitely not a combed top preparation. I had thought I'd try to spin for a singles, but I may end up plying it per usual... I'm just not sure yet. I love spinning without a plan, even though I feel a little guilty because I know I'd be better off if I had one.

I didn't even have to "fix" it in iPhoto for the contrast to show up this time. The sweater itself is a tube at this point, waiting for sleeves so I can get on with the yoke; I've got not-quite-half of the first sleeve done, and am beginning to actually believe I might get this done by the end of the month/year.

As I knit the sleeve, I'm starting to think about what I can do to correct a problem I only recently realized I have.

You see, friends, I purl backwards. Or upside-down. Or something. This is clearly visible in cardigans, like the one above that I knit this spring. The cardigan is primarily knit flat, while the sleeves are in the round. When knitting stockinette in the round, I have normal stitches because they're all knit; when knitting stockinette flat, however, I end up with twisted stitches because of the way I purl. Join the two together, and there's a clearly visible line between them. You can see this on Devin's sweater from this summer, too, but it's a little less obvious because the cables obscure the line.

I knew there was something wonky going on, but I didn't have a name for it until I took a steeking class from Melanie-- apparently I purl in the "Russian" style, but since I don't knit that way, I end up with twisted stitches. I've tried purling the other way, but it's not something I can trust myself to do consistently, and if I focus too hard on it I lose the ability to purl altogether. Interestingly, I also spin backwards (everyone else has an S twist by default and I have a Z twist... or maybe it's the other way around?), but that doesn't help me right now.

My current sweater is knit in the round until the top of the yoke, and when I get there I'd like to avoid twisted stitches. Since I can't fix the purls, will it work to knit through the back loops? That's how most people get twisted stitches in the first place, so if I do it will it untwist my stitches, or double-twist them somehow?

I'm a day late on updating my list; we spent the weekend at the coast, and I decided not to bring my computer. Considering the storm that came through Sunday night, and the downed power lines, I think I chose wisely.

the beach looked like this.

we looked like this.

and my colorwork sweater looks vaguely like this-- I had to do obscene things in iPhoto to get the pattern to show up, so it's not the most accurate of color representations.

This sweater, my first colorwork attempt, is also the last sweater for 2012. My goals for this year included knitting four adult sweaters, and if I can get this done in the next twelve days, I will have achieved that goal... I'm not sure that I can, but it'll be close. I've got the body done, and it just needs sleeves and a yoke.

I finished my first sweater on New Year's Eve last year, so even if I don't get this sweater all the way done I'm pretty proud of myself. My first sweater was knit from Malabrigo Worsted-- a kettle-dyed singles that was completely inappropriate for the pattern I chose. I didn't have enough yarn from a single dye lot, or even a single colorway, and I didn't alternate skeins, so the resulting garment, in addition to being enormous on me, pooled like psychedelic camo.

This sweater is knit in MadelineTosh Merino-- a hand-dyed singles, and even though I bought the six skeins I have of the main color ("Fathom") on three different occasions, I'm alternating them, so the result isn't any more stripey than it would be if I could knit the whole sweater out of one skein. The pattern is written for worsted weight yarn, and I knit two different gauge swatches-- made all the more effective by having actually taken my measurements before casting on. While a singles yarn probably wasn't the best choice for colorwork, I think I'll be able to keep and wear this end-of-the-year sweater, as opposed to the other one, which lives with my dear friend Georgie (she's about eight inches taller than me).

Anyway, I have my year of projects list this year-- at least for the first half of 2013-- but I still think I'll make goals for the calendar year. Probably ones similar to the goals I had this year, meaning not project specific, but sort of a guideline for what I'd like to see from my knitting. I already have four sweaters on my year of projects list, along with an ambitious colorwork project, and a handful of smaller projects, too. Considering those add up to what I was able to knit in all of 2012, I might be over-reaching to get everything done by the end of June; maybe I'll aim to have most things at least on the needles by the end of the year of projects, and done by the end of 2013?

How do you all plan for a year of knitting? Do you try to out do yourself based on the last year, in quantity or quality? And do you have multiple queues going, or do you just stick with one list?

This week was a bit of a finishing flurry for me-- so much so that Wednesday came and went with me muttering, "Just one more row and I'll bind off..."

First, I finished Mom's socks. Knit out of decadent Shalimar Yarns Breathless (merino! cashmere! silk! oh my!) in Thistle, and I can't think of someone who deserves foot pampering more than my mother. The pattern looks much more complicated than it is, and while they took me longer than I'd anticipated to knit, Mom seemed pretty happy to receive them this morning-- apparently, even though she's given me three pairs of handknit socks, and my (very tall, gigantic feet) step father several pairs, and her sister a pair, she's never owned a pair herself. High time, I say.

Next, I finished Dad's mitts. He asked for these back in 2007 when I gave him a scarf, and again in 2011 when I gave him a hat, and has mentioned his desire for mitts twice this year, with a wistful tone. He has a(nother) scarf coming, and a sweater, but these are actually a surprise.

I hope they fit.

I didn't use a pattern; just cast on and knit 2x2 ribbing, added a thumb gusset to the palm when it seemed appropriate (that's in stockinette), and bound off when the whole thing looked right. Devin tried them on, and they fit her-- since she and my dad are within an inch of each other height-wise, I'm hoping my proportions are spot on; so far, Dad's been the recipient of some seriously ill-fitting knitwear, although he always claims to love it. Also, it's really hard to take pictures of your own hands!

Finally, in the last forty-eight hours, I whipped out a hat-and-bootie set for a soon-to-be newborn in Arizona. Baby knits are seriously cute.

Since I don't know if the little one will be a boy or a girl, and perfectly reasonable people can be a little sensitive about gender norms and conformity when dressing their infants, I'm sending these blue items to the aunt-to-be with pink and purple buttons to attach if necessary.

And, one last picture of the squee-worthy baby knits, with a paperback book for scale...

Devin and I are off to the beach for an impromptu weekend away, and I'm taking my sweater so that maybe I'll actually finish it before the end of the year, and make my last knitting goal for 2012. All the gift knitting for this month is done, so I can be a little selfish (although I'm thinking of making Devin a pair of mitts for her birthday next month... but I can't really work on those while on holiday with her, so I guess I'm stuck with selfish-sweater knitting!)

It's a little late (11:35 pm PST) to hook up with the meme at Tami's Amis, but she does host a lovely community for finished object Fridays. Hope everyone has a great weekend!

There hasn't been a lot of knitting for me since Wednesday-- a handful of sock rows, a mitten thumb, and the first four colorwork rows on the sweater, which I was really hoping would be more photogenic but right now just looks a mess. The motif is eleven rows, so maybe when it's halfway done it'll be ready for its blog debut?

Since I'm determined to finish those three projects by the end of the month (two of them by the end of next week!), I am, of course, entirely distracted by all the other things I want to knit. Immediately. Kate Davies just published her new book, and in the process of drooling over it I decided to knit Tir Chonaill in the Cascade 220 you see piled above. I have two skeins of the lightest grey, and two of the heathered black, so it'll be a bit monochromatic, but I think it'll make a lovely throw for the living room; I've been thinking and thinking of knitting one ever since I saw Suzy's, and after taking two classes on stranded knitting and steeking, I'm ready to try my hand at something bigger than a swatch. At least, I think I am. Maybe I should reserve judgement until I've finished the colorwork on my sweater.

In the meantime, I've got candles to light for the second night of Hanukkah, and a horseradish pie that's still steamy from the oven. While I miss the light in Tucson, I will say that Hanukkah never felt quite as cozy without the rain and dark outside. Here it really is the festival of lights!

It's the first Wednesday of December, and the last Wednesday before Hanukkah. Luckily for me, Hanukkah lasts an entire week, so I have enough time to finish the two gifts I'm working on.

First up: Mom's socks. These were supposed to be done at the end of November, but that didn't happen. I have 45 more rows and the finishing; I'm aiming for next Friday.

The second gift (and a really terrible iPhone pic-- sorry folks. I'm still playing around with the Wooly app, and I haven't decided if I like it more than Yarma for pictures, or if it's better to take the pictures with the camera and then edit them in the app, or just snap them with the app in the first place. Regardless, this is a terrible picture; apologies): Dad's mitts. His birthday is Saturday, and then there's the holiday, but since he's coming down for a weekend later this month, I don't have to get these in the mail in a timely way.

They're brown, and hopefully man-sized. I had Devin try them on (she's only an inch shorter than Dad), and I took a random sampling from a number of patterns for an estimate on the sizing. I'm using an alpaca/wool blend I had in stash that's really nice knit up, but also too itchy for a matching hat... unless I somehow lined the brim. Hmmm-- I'll have to think on that. In any case, I've adapted the formula I used for my own mitts, and moved the thumb to a more anatomically appropriate place. This is mitt number one, and I started it Monday. I think I can finish the pair by the middle of the month.

I have one more December project, and that's to finish my fourth and final sweater for the year.

I've got another inch before the colorwork starts, than the increase rounds, sleeves, and raglan yoke. I'm not sure I can make it by 31 December, but I'm going to try! Meanwhile, I think I once again grossly overestimated the amount of yarn I needed-- almost eleven inches in, and I'm only through half of the first two skeins (I'm alternating). I have four more of the main color, and I think I'll end up with at least one skein over, if not two.

So, that's what I'm knitting today, and for the month. I might end up squeezing in another hat after the two gifts are finished, or a sock out of my handspun (!), but mostly I want to finish what's in front of me.

Thanks to Tami's Amis for hosting the WIP Wednesday meme, as always, and to the great community that's sprung up around it. And I'd love to hear about your Wooly/Yarma/other Rav apps experiences-- I'm still working out efficient ways to use them!

No pictures today-- a comment yesterday upon seeing my new handspun in person, "This looks so much better than on your blog," has given me a renewed self-conciousness about my horrible photos.

On the knitting front, I haven't finished the Phloem socks, but I'm closer than I was last week by about a dozen rows. It's a lovely and intuitive pattern, but I can't work on it while doing anything but listening to podcasts, so that really limits the time I put in. I did mange to finish two projects, though-- the never-ending scarf, and a pair of mitts that I started Monday and finished Thursday. I knit a handful of puffs, and Devin said, "That's going to be an interesting blanket, isn't it?" because all my scraps are very colorful and manage to clash not just with each other, but with themselves as well. And, my stash down ratio is maintained at 6:1-- leaving me room to acquire one skein!Devin's band is fundraising tonight with a silent auction-- there was some talk of whether or not I would donate a pair of socks to the cause. I didn't, mostly because I don't think my knitting's that good-- it's good enough for loved ones, but not for public consumption-- but I also, paradoxically, don't think anyone would be willing to pay what handknit things are worth in terms of sheer time, not to mention materials. I know that's not quite the point of fundraising auctions, but the conversation made me grumpy.Where do you guys fall on the money-for-knitting scale? And what do you think of knitting for charity/fund-raising?